International Air Transport Association (IATA) yesterday said it was currently working with the new management of Arik Air, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), to resolve the airline’s suspension from the IATA Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) and Cargo Account Settlement System (CASS).
“The airline’s suspension from the IATA financial systems does not affect its IATA membership or IOSA registered status. Arik Air remains a member of IATA and a fully IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registered airline,” Samson Fatokun, IATA area manager, South West Africa, said in a statement yesterday.
This development is coming two weeks after AMCON took over the management of Arik Air over mounting debts that it (AMCON) claimed would have grounded the operations of the airline without the corporation’s intervention.
AMCON says it is making efforts to return the aircraft in Arik’s fleet in various parts of the world in repair yards, with the aim of stabilising the airline to offer safe, secure and timely services to customers.
According to AMCON, due to its intervention, flights are operating and the insurance cover for the aircraft, which would have expired on Sunday, February 12, has now been sorted and trade creditors and fuel marketers have been assured that all indebtedness will be looked into; they have offered to support the new management to get operations run smoothly.
Flight schedule may therefore be realigned to match the 10 aircraft in the fleet, while also sorting out the myriad of problems confronting the airline.
